Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com

Panel not out to ban guns at Capitol, Prettner Solon says | Minnesota Public Radio News.

“What we’re trying to do is to have a conversation where we can try to defuse the emotions and talk about the reality,” she said. “It may take a while for us to be able to talk about it, because people tend to dig their heels in and want to protect their rights on either side of this issue.”  -Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon

Nuance!

Contrary to what MSNBC, CNN, Fox, and many of our own representatives would have us believe, not every American is either a “die-hard gun fanatic” or a “ban all the guns fanatic”. There are a hundred opinions in between, and most people land smack in the middle.

Our primary concerns? Safety and accountability.

I’m not concerned about what features on a weapon constitute an “assault” rifle, and while I think it’s pretty distasteful to hunt with an AR-15, my aversion (and frankly, anyone’s aversion) should never be the sole basis for restricting or limiting rights.

I’m not interested in any conversation involving total criminalization of all fire arms “like Australia and the UK”.

What I want to know is how we can create consistent and effective gun safety legislation. Are background checks required in all 50 states at point to point purchases? Should they be? Let’s discuss. Are gun shows regulated appropriately to prevent unauthorized sales to minors or felons? What can we do to improve this? Can we get a handle on the black market and reduce the number of illegal gun sales? Are states willing to establish a registration system for firearms? Why or why not?

We can totally talk about these issues without letting emotions (or LOBBIES) influence policy decisions. Thanks for demonstrating some common sense, Lt. Gov. Prettner Solon. I hope more of our representatives follow your lead.